A child will often wish to have a doll accompany it into the bathtub, or into other water environments. If the doll has movable limbs, the joints may permit water to pass into the interior structure unless there is a waterproof joint between the limbs and the torso. Moreover, frequently the joint will also allow air to escape from the interior unless it is air-tight. Thereafter, the water may leak from the doll in an undesirable place such as when the doll is in bed with the child, and/or the entire torso, and/or the limbs may collapse from loss of internal air pressure.
Dolls with movable limbs are generally preferred by the user to effect a semblance of being lifelike, that is, having rotatable or otherwise movable limbs. Moreover, today dolls are generally molded from plastic, and the molding operation or the intended doll structure may require that the limb and torso be hollow and pliable. Therefore, the joints of the limbs to the torso are desirably constructed so that water will not enter the hollow torso and limbs and so that internal air pressure will not be lost through the joints.
This problem has previously been addressed in a number of ways. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,553 spade-like members are molded integrally with the torso and extend into receptacles therefor on the limbs. However, this construction does not provide free pivoting of the limbs with respect to the torso.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,816,957 also addresses this problem and utilizes a plurality of connecting members to effect a water-tight seal between the hollow torso and limbs of the doll. U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,165 discloses limb-to-torso connections which are intended to provide a water-tight seal between the torso and the limbs by a specially formed water-tight seal; however, pivotal movement of a limb with respect to the torso may cause such seals to leak water into either or both the torso or limbs.
It has also been suggested to seal the extremities of a doll by adhering a plug or cap into the opening of an extremity: however, such a plug or cap may be popped out due to increased air pressure within the extremity due to squeezing of the extremity, or heating of the contained air, or both.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new, improved and simplified doll construction in which the extremities are joined to the torso by a novel fluid and air-tight joint which permits pivotal movement while preventing entrance of water into the cavities and loss of air therefrom due to any increase in air pressure within the cavity.
Another object is to provide such a doll construction with a water and air-tight joint which may be effected readily and relatively economically.